I recently had to travel to Las Vegas for work and was lucky enough to have some time to get out and see the sites.

The strange things one stumble across on their way home from work.

I have been going to the PNE in Vancouver, BC, Canada for as long as I can remember. While it is not what it once was (due to the Province doing almost nothing to help it) but I still love it none the less.

While I try to visit a Disney property once a year, this year will be more special than usual. For the first time in, well decades, I am going with my mother. We both love Disneyland, so we’re going to California in October to celebrate Halloween down there. My favourite time of year for Disney.

I thought that it would be fun to go over some of the changes at the park since my last visit and some that are yet to come.

Tower of Terror becomes Mission: BREAKOUT!

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This is a controversial change and given the nostalgia for the original and it’s theme. Earlier this year the Hollywood Tower of Terror closed its door and work began to revamp it into a ride based upon the Guardians of the Galaxy trailer. Personally I loved the look of the ride, the interior and all of the atmosphere around the original. However, I do not like drop rides and only ever actually rode it once.

Soarin’ Goes Worldwide

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First seen at the Shanghai Disneyland the attractions at both Disneyland in California and Disneyworld in Orlando have also been updated. The building and structure of the ride is, more or less, the same but with a few reel. This one takes you all over the world looking at major attractions. I am really looking forward to the new experience when I arrive this October.

Star Wars Land Coming in 2019 to California

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This one is very exciting. It is still a ways off but when it opens I wan to be there opening day. I expected a revamp of Tomorrow Land for Star Wars Land but instead it is being situation up past the Haunted Mansion in the are where Critter County used to be. As a result the Tom Sawyer Island, the pirate boat and the steam ferry are closed for a while.

I am curious what they plan to do with Star Tours which is still in Tomorrow Land. Do they build a new version? Leave it where it is? All very expensive options.

Conclusion

Certainly those are not every little change that has been made. I wish I was able to see what they did with the Food and Wine Festival in California, given a lot less space than they have to work with at Epcot doing the same thing. However, we are also going to be stopping by Universal Studios for Halloween Horror Nights, so it will certainly be a trip to remember.

Just hours after Apple released iOS 10.2 the staff at Internet Janitorial received numerous reports, from four people, that the update is causing baldness! While miscellaneous issues occur with every, single, release we thought that a front page story posting these claims with no attempt to verify anything.

Sadly the above is only, marginal exaggeration, regarding what you find on some Apple news sites every single time a version of iOS is released. The fact of the matter is that a handful of people complaining about an issue is completely meaningless. Now, if you receive between 500,000 and 750,000, then you might have something.

However, the stories are generally based upon anecdotal evidence ranging from forum posts, emails to the website or the always reliable Twitter. Without knowing the answer to a range of questions we’re just stuck in click-bait territory.

The fact of the matter is that some people are going to every, single, release, always have an issue with an update. Follow best practices and backup your device prior to the update to, for example, iCloud and you’re content will not be lost.

Until then get busy with that comb over.

On Wednesday of last week, just before going to sleep, I wanted to watch a few Youtube videos first. Upon playing the first one the audio on the phone was making a loud static noise… almost like a record skipping. At first I thought, being sleepy, that it was just the one video. So I tried another sure thing, it was there as well. I tried audio from the Music app and could hear it, although far less distinctly.

So I stopped by the Apple store first thing in the morning as I did not have an appointment and managed to see someone almost right away. Yet, just like taking a car to the mechanic, everything was fine. They ran all the tests they could think of and everything passed. Sure enough, as I tested my phone for the rest of the day the audio was sounded normal. Except that now, the phone was running hot and the battery draining significantly faster.

I tried the initial basics of hard resetting the phone and clearing out all of the background applications. Initially after that everything was fine, but, as I started to use the phone it heated up again, so it had to be one of the apps. So, why not the one that seemed to cause all the trouble in the first place?

Youtube.

I deleted the application, restarted the phone and then reinstalled Youtube. No more heat problems since. While I would really love to know what the issue was that caused the audio anomaly the phone is working as expected.

The excitement never ends.

I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, ‘Where’s the self-help section?’ She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

George Carlin

Magic in the distance

The following is a tale about Disneyworld, Universal Studios, Hurricanes and a vast difference in customer service.

First. Proof that there are good people. I lost my wallet in Epcot. Noticed after I made it pat the US pavilion. I checked everywhere I had been as I had only made it into the park 30-45 minutes prior. Foolishly all my credit cards were in there, all my identification. Before going to park myself at Lost & Found I wandered into the gift shop, near the US pavilion and there it was. A very nice, kind lady had turned it in. Everything inside.

This trip was my fourth time in Orlando enjoying the parks. As always, more time was spent at Disneyworld than at Universal. However, I decided that I wanted multiple days at Universal this time so that I could say on premises and see The Blueman Group for the first time. Unfortunately, a hurricane named Matthew, had other things to say about that.

Disneyworld and Universal both shut down on Thursday, October 6th at 5PM and for only the 4th time since it opened, Disneyworld was completely closed on Friday, October 7th. My original schedule had me at Universal on the 7th doing the parks and Halloween Horror Nights with the express pass. I managed to get the express pass and more moved to the 8th before things got worse.

Next I come to a prime example of the difference in customer service between Disney and Universal. Disney had people, from a safe location, answering phones on Thursday afternoon and Friday so that guests could know what is going on. They provided regular updates via the website and even put voicemails on guests rooms. Everyones stay was automatically extended beyond check out to keep people safe.

Universal? Late Thursday evening a voicemail was put into place. Across all numbers stating that due to the hurricane and the safety of guests/staff the park is closed and more information will be given soon. The message continued throughout the night and ALL through Friday… No further updates on the website or with that voicemail being changed.

Now I completely, 100% understand wanting to ensure the safety of staff. Completely. But Universal is a big company. They have people on phones in other locations. They have the ability to remotely update voicemail or have people change the website. All people want in a situation like this is just a little bit of information.

It all worked out (minus the Blueman Group part) in the end and I did have a very nice time at Universal/Islands of Adventure and the Halloween Horror Nights.

Clever sign use. One of the HHH nice touches.

Just a quick tip regarding Halloween Horror Nights in either California or Orlando. Get the express pass or don’t waste your time going. Yes, the express pass is more than $100 on top of what you already paid, but, how valuable is your time? This year Orlando had 10 houses and with the express pass I saw all 10 as well as the Bill & Ted Halloween show. I also had time to relax, get something to eat and do a few rides.

Without the pass you would be lucky to see three houses and don’t plan on doing rides or seeing the shows unless you want to reduce that to two houses. The lines can be long, up to 90 minutes long for a house that will take you 4 minutes to walk through.

Such a rambling post.